Independent Banker - February 2022 - 28

PORTFOLIO INNOVATION STATION
Next-level collaboration
By Charles Potts, ICBA
members will identify specifi c challenges
they face that require solutions, draw
solutions into their purview through
community partnerships and qualify
potential candidates.
he collaborative process is
critically important to what
we do at ICBA and to the future
of community banking. As I write
this, the 2022 ICBA ThinkTECH
Accelerator cohort, run in partnership
with The Venture Center, is well
underway. Throughout the process,
ICBA members participate as
community bank mentors and share
industry challenges with the cohort
participants to mature products,
pitches and, ultimately, ensure
product-market fi t and longevity.
The ThinkTECH Accelerator is one of
several initiatives underway this year
to foster community bank-enabled
fi ntech partnerships.
In addition, ICBA will continue to
provide a springboard for innovation
with a series of new eff orts designed
to help community banks dive deeper
into how to cultivate successful fi ntech
partnerships. New case studies,
webinars and educational resources
will off er a behind-the-scenes look at
how community banks partner with
fi ntechs for innovation. These new
T
tools and resources will help answer
important questions, including:
 How do we fi nd companies that are
the right fi t?
 How do we fi lter and qualify
solutions for our bank's needs?
 How do we attract new talent
to further our innovation goals
and objectives?
As a natural part of this evolution,
community banks are leveraging
accelerators that feature fi ntech
solutions geared to community banks
and cultivating strategic partnerships
focused on a high-tech, high-touch
approach to innovation. Collaborative
eff orts like these are at the foundation
of ICBA's ecosystem and a natural
cultural fi t for most community banks.
To foster this kind of next-level
collaboration, ICBA is taking steps
to help state community bank
associations develop Innovation
Steering Committees, which will
help identify potential partners in
their local ecosystem. As part of
the process, steering committee
The Georgia Community Bankers
Association began this process two
years ago, aligning themselves with the
Advanced Technology Development
Center (ATDC) at Georgia Tech,
which has a global reputation for
fostering innovation and technological
entrepreneurship. Through this strategic
partnership, the Georgia Community
Bankers Association Innovation Steering
Committee has a direct pipeline into the
university system, which allows them to
identify new talent and potential fi ntech
innovation technology partners.
ICBA is also working with a few
state associations to develop their own
Innovation Steering Committees. To
that end, ICBA invited members of these
state associations to participate in this
year's ThinkTECH Accelerator cohort.
In addition, ICBA will continue to foster
state-based eff orts to launch Innovation
Steering Committees to share knowledge
and identify potential innovation
partners at the local level.
Wherever you are in the process, it's
not too late to get involved. ICBA has a
growing network of people and resources
community banks can tap into as they
continue their innovation journeys. Also,
during ICBA LIVE 2022 (see page 52),
attendees can witness for themselves
how far these solutions have come during
our ICBA ThinkTECH Live Showcase
and visit with this year's cohort at the
ThinkTECH Accelerator Hub in the
exhibit hall.
We look forward to seeing you there! 
Charles Potts (charles.potts@icba.org)
is ICBA executive vice president and
chief innovation off icer
28 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q February 2022
Independent Banker - February 2022

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